Ntignee Nails FC Annecy Contract In CPL Record Transfer

As we speculated on earlier this morning, Cavalry winger Goteh Ntignee has now completed his formal transfer to Ligue 2 side FC Annecy for a CPL record-breaking (albeit undisclosed) transfer fee.

We’ve confirmed with a club source that this fee sees Ntignee sold for a figure near 500k plus future incentives.

The 21-year-old will initially join the French side on loan for the remainder of the 23-24 season, with a permanent move coming to fruition ahead of the following campaign.

The Canadian-Nigerian winger has had a breakout season at Spruce Meadows, making eighteen appearances for Cavalry and contributing two goals and three assists before disappearing from the club’s matchday roster in mid-August.

Cavalry has proven to be quite an developmental pipeline for young talent, with last year seeing Aribim Pepple transfer to Luton Town and Victor Loturi secure a move to Ross County.

“This is an exciting move for Goteh, another young local player given an opportunity by our club in the Canadian Premier League,” added Cavalry head ocach Tommy Wheeldon Jr, who had followed Ntignee since his youth soccer days.

“He has high-level attributes and I feel if he keeps progressing in Europe, he will put his name in the reaches of Canada’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

The Coaldale, Alberta-raised winger has proven to be highly technical for his age with an explosive pace, and he’s now embarking on a path similar to what Diyaeddine Abzi took last year.

Ntignee began his career with East Side Memorial FC before progressing upwards to the Pacific Elite Soccer Institute under former Calgary Mustangs head coach Thomas Niendorf.

He then developed with now-League1 BC side Victoria Highlanders before embarking stint in Europe with German lower division sides FC Lokomotiv Leipzig and FC Grimma, joining Cavalry FC last August ahead of his breakthrough 2023 season.

“It’s never easy to say goodbye to a talent but, as we’ve proven before through our recruitment and development philosophy, Goteh’s departure will allow us to create other opportunities for more Canadian talent through our pathway,” added Wheeldon Jr.

While the financial details of the transfer remain undisclosed, the fact that it’s a league record deal should turn several heads.